


Fractions

by whatacartouchebag



Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: M/M, fairgameweekend2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26791906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatacartouchebag/pseuds/whatacartouchebag
Summary: Day Two Challenge - StarlightNo, he could fly later, he told himself softly.Tonight... tonight was about the stars.Tonight was about the sky and the moon and the way it used to be so... whole.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951708
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Fractions

**Author's Note:**

> Shaping something new  
> Out of the fragments  
> Light up this old soul  
> I was broken  
> Now we're golden
> 
> ~ Fractions, Juniper Vale

He knew all of the stars by their name. Had reached for them as a child, entranced by their brightness. Knew the path they traced across a velvet sky. Had spent a lifetime reading their guidance as he walked the lands below without ever needing to look at his feet.

He knew the face of the moon and all its broken facets, glittering high in the dark expanse of night. Each shattered piece trailing after it like a celestial veil. He never knew the story of how it came to be until a mystical creature had opened his eyes to the truth.

She showed him a world of pain and fear, told him a tale of woe and despair, whispered in his ear about how things used to be and how things had crumbled to ruin.

But red eyes could only widen at the faceless image of a fleeing god, obliterating the pristine jewel that was the moon. For a moment in time, he had seen it in all its perfect glory. Had seen in whole. Complete.

Unbroken.

How he'd once longed to know what that felt like.

He'd spent a lifetime chasing what seemed like smoke between his fingers, and now here he lay, watching the same velvet sky, the same bright stars, and the same glittering moon.

Broken.

Something not at all like himself, he thought with a wry brush of amusement.

No... now he merely felt... a little less fractured.

The moon with all its broken facets, traced a pristine path across the night with its glittering veil trailing behind, and his brow furrowed as he shifted hands under his head. Fingertips began to tingle as feeling returned to them once more, and red eyes continued their search of the stars.

He'd lost count of how long he'd lain under the night sky, exposed to the dull cold of Atlas, with only his quiet thoughts as friends by his side. He had a lot of stuff to think about, he'd once heard his niece say about him. Not that she was wrong; he certainly had more to caress his thoughts than most.

Some nights it was easier. Others, not so. But he was vastly used to each of their melodies, and how sickly sweet they could whisper and serenade him.

The sigh filtered through parted lips, the faint cloud of steam slipping into the air above him. He was surprised he hadn't received the abusive call to come down from his perch, considering he was dealing with the high and mighty Atlesian Military, and the faint hitch of a smirk graced his lips.

Qrow had taken flight some time in the early evening, not intending on being seen until sunrise, and by the gods, he was going to do just that.

He didn't doubt that the shield generators surrounding the island had all manner of sensors on them, but he highly doubted they had one to account for the weight of a person laying atop them, sprawled out and watching the stars.

Even the dull glow from the barrier beneath him couldn't take away from the brightness of the heavens above, and he was glad he could just watch them all unbidden.

The wind never bothered him. With only a faint stirring of his hair every so often, the snowstorm that had ravaged the land hours ago had all but faded from memory, leaving behind a drybrushing of fresh white upon the canvas of the land below.

He would have to inspect it later on, down in the tree-lined valleys, came the stray thought. To fly free between the branches and dart between snowy limbs; to defy death in a dizzying spiral with only scant inches to react. It was how he felt the pulse beneath his skin. How he came alive when feathers encrusted his body and bade his senses to soar above the clouds.

There was no greater bliss than flight, and he couldn't stop the way he needed to draw a deep breath, already feeling the memory of adrenaline slip through him.

No, he could fly later, he told himself softly.

Tonight... tonight was about the stars.

Tonight was about the sky and the moon and the way it used to be so... whole.

The sigh traced from him with as the wistful sort of smile lined the corners of his lips. The night air, despite his heady altitude, still held only a gentle crispness that settled about him. Like stepping outside on a fresh Patch morning, and the words bade his smile to grow as red eyes slivered closed, thoroughly content on simply enjoying the night.

Patch would always be in his memories, just as it lay in his heart.

And perhaps there was now another place that nestled there, just as close.

“Thought so.”

The breath of words shot through him in vicious startle, and he snatched a hand about Harbinger as he jerked bolt upright, glaring at the sudden intruder. The sight of one Clover Ebi brought everything to a screeching halt, and he could only gawp at him for a moment, forgetting exactly ho to do little else as his heart hammered in his throat.

The operative could only laugh gently at his own private joke, and he finished pulling himself the last of the way up the service ladder. He wandered towards the huntsman, who could do little else but continue to stare at him with a deep furrow on his brow, and dropped down alongside him, reclining back on one hand as the other lay loose across his lap. Looking the very picture of relaxed and at ease, and not at all as if he'd just startled the life out of the man.

His sudden presence drew nothing save for thunderous silence from the huntsman, and Clover could only draw his gaze upwards to the vast sky, taking in the full spectrum of that velvet blue glittered with stars as he waited for a response. The moon hung like a shattered jewel overhead and he couldn't help but allow the smile to cross his lips. Atlas nights were some of the clearest he could recall, and tonight was no exception.

There wasn't a brush of cloud in the sky to interrupt the view, and even the light breeze that stirred hair occasionally was barely a whisper. It was as if the night was holding it's very breath for them.

He almost got the chance to remark on its beauty, when the huntsman shifted, finally letting fingers curl back from Harbinger once more as the winding sigh finally left him.

“What are you doing here?”

The question was light on his lips, even if the tone wasn't, and the operative glanced back at red eyes, still watching him so keenly; that expression somewhat guarded, no doubt thanks to his presence. It made him pause, and there was a brief moment where he wondered if he'd overstepped his bounds a little; Qrow had been fairly clear that he wanted time to himself, after all, what with secreting himself as far away from prying eyes as he could get.

Green eyes glanced away briefly, and fingers curled lightly upon his lap, mulling over his next words.

At least, until there was a faint exhale from next to him, and he turned his gaze back to the huntsman. Instead of a guarded, indignant expression greeting him, he found something almost wry and softly amused meeting his eyes, before they flicked away.

Qrow knew at once that his words had been taken the wrong way entirely, and he shook his head lightly, meeting green eyes once more.

“I mean... how did you even  _ get  _ up here?” came the gentler question as he leant back on one hand.

Clover blinked back at him a little, thrown by the soft shift in tone, and the brush of a laugh found him as he realised he'd misunderstood the intention of the huntsman's words. Well then. He supposed even  _ he _ was allowed to make a little mistake in front of him here and there.

It wasn't as if it were the first time Qrow's words had rendered him speechless, after all.

“Despite all its  _ wondrous  _ technology, Atlas still believes in service ladders, you know,” he replied simply. He paused for a moment, and the weary sigh fell from him as he rolled his eyes to the heavens. “And I'm not out of shape by any stretch, but that is one  _ hell  _ of a climb.”

Qrow's soft snuffle of laughter met his words, before it blossomed into something bright and buoyant that sang up to the stars themselves, and Clover found himself smiling back at him, warmth settling deep in his chest at the mirthful sound. It was far and few between that he got to hear such a sound from the huntsman, and he counted his blessings every time he did.

Each one simply brought another opportunity to fall further in love with him, after all.

The huntsman reached up to chase away amused tears from the corners of his eyes, still feeling that brilliant warmth in his soul as he sat upright alongside the operative, legs folding under him. Oh, but he enjoyed hearing whatever nonsense the man could spout whenever he wasn't constantly under the thumb or watch of one Atlas Military. When he could step away from the role of Captain and simply be himself. He enjoyed those times the best, he thought, and the man beside him continued.

“And since you're up here brooding by yourself-”

Qrow gave another amused snort, the smile settling broadly upon his lips.

“I am  _ not  _ brooding,” came the swiftly mumbled response.

Clover felt his lips curl into an amused smirk.

“That's not what Yang says.”

“Yeah, and she's a brat, just like her sister.” Soft and without any venom as he turned his gaze skywards once more. For a handful of time, words seemed lost to him, and he slipped easily back into appreciating the glistening array of starlight above them.

Even if he despised the frozen north of their world, there was something to be said for the breathtaking way the skies all but opened themselves to the land below, pouring the clearest light upon it.

It was one thing to see the majesty of the skies at any given time, but to see it so bright and clear was always a privilege. He relished any chance he could get to simply indulge in that broad expanse of freedom, and gazing at the stars was but another way he knew how.

The sigh slipped from him without little thought, and he felt some of the tension trickle from his form.

At his side, green eyes hadn't moved from their post, watching the huntsman as he stepped through their light banter. His wry smile from earlier had settled, and he propped up one leg, letting his wrist lay idle across his knee as he turned his own gaze to the horizon.

The dark silhouette of the mountains kissed the velvet blue of the sky where they met, and even from their height, he could see the way the snow glittered delicately in the moonlight. Icy facets catching the cooler light and twinkling with the same glow as the world above them.

It was... peaceful out here. Calm.

He could see why Qrow chose to secret himself away every so often to gaze at the heavens.

Warmth nestled further in his chest. It was just another thing the huntsman was helping him understand, really. That he should always take the time to simply stop and sit in stillness. That there  _ was  _ such a thing as being present in a world that demanded so much from him.

That he could appreciate the world about him in more ways than he already did.

The faint sound slipped from him, and green eyes flicked to the base of those towering mountains, fingers curling loosely where they hung.

He was finding more ways to appreciate  _ him  _ every day, it seemed.

“Your nieces said you wanted some time off,” he began softly, correcting his words from earlier. “And that if I wanted to find you, to look at the top of the tallest structure in Atlas.” Those red eyes glanced back at him, dark brows raising at the words as the light smile found him, and he sat upright once more, taking the weight off his palm as he folded his legs under him, allowing hands to sit loose within his lap.

“Funny, this doesn't look like the Academy,” he replied, giving a light nod of his head towards the massive structure that sat somewhere at their backs. Clover could only give a gentle laugh at his words, and he shook his head lightly.

“No, but I had a hunch it meant you wanted to be as far as possible from the place.”

Qrow could only snort at his apt words, and he let his eyes flick between green for a heartbeat, a wry tint coming to his smile. Well. He wasn't wrong. He tolerated those stuffy halls and buttoned-up military cronies for about as much as he could stand, which wasn't all that long, truth be told.

“So... a lucky guess then?” he ventured, full of cheek.

Clover met his words with a warm smile, and he straightened his back once more, feeling joints protest in the cold that swathed them and meeting those red eyes so full of amusement. He almost wanted to sigh at his apt choice of words, if it weren't for the fact that such a phrase had become a bit of a joke to them both.

A delicate subject, the further they dug, but one that seemed a little less intolerable with the huntsman at his side.

Without a word, he lowered green eyes to where those hands lay, and he reached gently for one, finding the move easily reciprocated as fingers threaded together between them. His smile grew as he felt the way they squeezed just so, and the chill of the night held no sway over the warmth that settled further into his chest.

“A bit of a lucky guess...” he replied simply, drawing the gentle breath of a laugh from Qrow.

Stillness fell between them, silent as the skies that glittered above, and for a moment, they both seemed content to share in the simple connection. To savour the warmth where fingers laced together.

If only for a moment, as Qrow decided that he wasn't warm enough, and scooted himself closer to the man, letting a folded knee lay against a thigh as shoulders pressed together and joined hands lay upon pants. He already felt leagues more comfortable with that warmth flooding through him where skin brushed, and he closed his eyes in contentment, letting his head rest against a waiting temple.

It was enough.

And he felt more than a little relieved that his retreat had been somewhat gatecrashed by the man; the thought tugging at the corner of his lips.

“So...” the breath of a voice began, drawing him back from his thoughts. “What's on your mind?”

There was an innocence to his words, and if they knew each other a little less, it would be all anyone would hear; a casual question. Yet they both knew that days and months of living and training and fighting side by side had honed their understanding of one another down to the smallest of tells, so there was never something as simple as an innocent question.

Not really.

Qrow allowed the gentle breath of amusement to slip from him, and he let his gaze linger where fingers laced together, watching the way they threaded and fit just so.

“Nothing serious,” he answered in quiet honesty. He drew his other hand up, briefly gesturing to the heavens above them as red eyes flicked upwards to follow its arc. “Just appreciating the view, is all.”

The brunet shifted against a temple, casting his gaze skywards for a moment, letting eyes wander familiar stars and the delicate aura of the moonlight. He could certainly appreciate it, alright. Finding the time to do so was still... a little hard sometimes, but Qrow was certainly helping him learn what that truly meant.

His smile tugged at the corners, and the faint crease settled on his brow as an idle thought dawned on him.

“It's different... isn't it?”

The words slipped from him before he had a chance to snatch at them, and he heard the softly questioning sound that trickled out in reply. Clover parted his lips as he found the rest of what he wanted to say settle heavy on his tongue. He gave a gentle breath of a laugh as Qrow sat upright once more, looking at him in light questioning until he untangled himself.

“The... constellations,” he continued, meeting that red gaze, his own eyes flicking between them. “They must be different to what you see down in Sanus.”

Qrow could only blink back at him, and almost as if realising what he'd been told, cast his gaze up to the heavens once more. Rather than not understanding the concept in the slightest, he knew what Clover was trying to say, and he felt something tighten within his chest.

“They sure are...” he echoed, bringing his gentle smile back to the man, tinted with delicate surprise, and he hurried to continue his words. To cover his tracks. “But it's the same in Menagerie, too. Constellations, seasonal positioning, how the moon tracks through the sky depending on the time of the week... It's all... it's all different for sure.”

There was a note of distraction in those words, and at their soft tone, fingers gave a gentle squeeze about fingers. Qrow seemed to click that his little moment had been caught, and he turned his gaze skywards, thoroughly intent on blaming the chill of the night air for the dusting of colour that appeared on his cheeks.

The cold never agreed with him. Clover knew that.

“Stars are stars, no matter where you go in the world. And any huntsman worth their salt knows how to track using the night sky,” he finished, eyes trailing across the glistening heavens.

There was a beat of time before Clover gave a brief noise of thought. “But...”

Qrow chanced his luck and glanced back at him, red eyes blinking almost owlishly for a moment as he was caught by the quiet utterance.

“But..?”

Clover leant forwards, his light smile all delicate cheek as he bumped their foreheads together, making sure that gaze couldn't escape him this time around.

“Hm... you didn't finish your thought from earlier,” he told him, that smile broadening. “So you first. Then I'll share.”

The huntsman felt the way those words sang to him, and it caused that creep of colour to flush further to his skin, brushing along his neck in the cool of the evening air. He didn't... really think Clover would notice it within his simple ramblings, and he almost buried the thought as soon as it was formed.

Of  _ course _ he would, and he felt something in his stomach tighten.

He turned his gaze to the mountains that stretched before them, their dark silhouettes providing little solace as he stepped through the words in his head. There was no escaping what he'd started, and he _knew_ Clover would call him out on it if he tried. It was just another thing he was particularly good at, he thought with a faint brush of a smile.

“It... It is different...” he began softly.

For a moment, it seemed it was all he would say, and he swallowed lightly, trying to sort out the rest of his words as they sat upon his tongue.

“This far north... they look different to the constellations you see from... from Patch.”

Silence lingered between them at the delicate words, and the breeze stirred hair and collars where they stayed; the heavens gazing down upon the two of them. Clover could only feel the warmth settling in his heart at their tone; something so quiet and almost shy. It drew the smile to his lips and he knew he'd been right about his earlier hunch.

“You miss it.”

It was a soft brush of words, and Clover saw the way those red eyes narrowed faintly with the smile that stole across lips, wrinkles creasing at the corners at the operative struck true.

“Yeah...” Qrow's reply was almost lost to the breeze. “I do.”

He drifted into a gentle pause once more, and his smile warmed as he lowered his gaze to the cold ground they sat upon. There was something almost refreshing about finally giving it a voice, and he felt those fingers give a gentle squeeze about his own. The huntsman turned his gaze up to the man at his side, flicking gently between green eyes.

“But... it's just a place. And I've got all I need for now, right up here,” he finished, reaching up to lightly tap his temple. “Until I can make it back there, I'm happy keeping it that way.”

_That_ seemed to throw Clover's train of thought off a little, and he raised a brow at him lightly.

“Why do you say that?”

It was Qrow's turn to press foreheads together, warmth bleeding between them where they touched, and he allowed the gentle laugh to brush across those lips.

“Because next time, I want you to see them with me.”

As simple as that, and the operative couldn't stop the faint widening of his eyes, nor the delicate flush of colour that crept about his collar. It brought him to an utter standstill, and he could do little else but allow the warmth of his smile to eclipse everything else as he stared back into those wondrous eyes.

Funny, he thought. He'd placed all his bets on coming up here to comfort someone else, and he'd had the tables expertly turned on him once more.

He rather liked the surprise.

“That's me done,” Qrow's voice stole into his thoughts. “So... your turn now.”

Clover almost didn't want to find the words to reply to him, caught as he was. His mind lingered on on stars and constellations he'd only ever seen in charts and training modules. But the man next to him... he'd seen all of them the world over; had decided which ones he liked the best and missed the most, all from being able to see them in person.

And all he wanted to do was extend his hand to the operative, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to invite him along.

He found it hard to believe he could love him more, yet Qrow merely had other ideas  _entirely_ about that notion.

“I don't think I need to anymore.”

His free hand drifted to the curve of a cheek, a thumb giving an idle stroke as fingers delicately traced a line down warm skin to tuck under a chin.

“Since you asked what I wanted to.”

Qrow felt his own flush of warmth gathering along skin, and he blinked back at the man, not expecting the way his words suddenly turned on him. Oh, but that was almost downright cheating, and he let out the soft huff of amusement. The sound lingered for a moment before the quiet breath of a proper laugh left him, and he ghosted lips across the man's.

“Guess we've got a date to plan...” he murmured, stealing a languid kiss from him.

Clover could only smile further, no longer feeling the chill of the night that surrounded them, and fingers drifted to the column of the huntsman's neck, gently feeling the beat of that pulse beneath his palm as fingertips teased at short strands.

Stargazing, he thought, was fast becoming a favourite pastime of his.


End file.
